HV20 and Merlin
 

Put 'er up today for a spin (literally/figuratively)...took less than 10 minutes to balance from scratch. Talk about a featherweight! Truly amazing to be shooting stabilized HD with such little effort, you could carry this setup around for a good long while I suspect. For serious work you would want to add some weight (wide angle lens would be a good start).

Charles, any footage posted ?

I would truly love to see some footage using the Merlin. I'm thinking of getting one so seeing some footage from it might ease the pain of the price tag.

OK, I'll try to put some up. Is it OK with you guys if it isn't HD m2t's, if I just put up a Quicktime? hope so...there are many threads where you can evaluate the picture quality.

No problem there. Whatever you can post. Just want to see it fly a bit..

I'll try to get something going tomorrow if I can.

Yeah it doesn't have to be m2ts as long as it properly represents the footage. I'm dying to see some!

really interesting!

I currently have the HV10 and the Glidecam 2000 pro but really struggled to get it to balance as the HV10 is just so light. Is the HV20 heavier than the HV10? With the HV10it would just about balance if no weights are used at all on the bottom.

Any ideas how to weight up the HV10 or HV20 (as I am upgrading soon!)

Yes! Put some weights on top, add a wide angle adapter, and use large battery!
If you want more heavier, add another HV10 on top, and shoot GREAT 3D-HD videos :)

Awesome! Can't wait to see the footage Charles.

I have a merlin also and I love it. I just bought the HV20 to replace my dying HC1. Can you tell me what the adjustments are on your setup since Merlin cookbook does not have the HV20 yet. Thanks.

OK, I will admit that I'm not a "cookbook" guy--normally I'm not adverse to reading directions but my 8 zillion years as a Steadicam operator make me a little too proud to think I can't soldier my way through this sort of thing. Although some of the more obscure bits that are unique to the Merlin left me a bit baffled at first (G-platz??!) but I quickly got the hang of those.

So, having now consulted the online cookbook to understand what to call the settings, here goes:

Front weight: 1 finish
Lower weight: 1 start, 1 finish
Arc size: 9 1/4"
Mounting hole: J
Stage mark: n/a (already took the camera off...somewhere in the middle)
Z: -2
G-platz: no

This is for stock HV20 with tape, standard battery and no accessories.

As far as what kind of additional weight to add, I'm itching to tell you...there's an amazing and wonderful device that should be part of the Merlin accessory kit that will make lightweight camera users dance with glee when it becomes available (3rd party), but I can't tell you what it is yet because the person who invented it (for the big rigs) should be the one to market it for the DV world, and I've been telling him to do so for 3 years now, and pretty soon I'm just going to make the damn thing myself but I really can't be bothered probably, because half of the people will claim it overpriced and insist on making it themselves. Rant over. Nope, you can't beg me to tell you what it is.

Thanks, Charles! It actually helped me out a lot with your configuration. I probably saved easily 1 hour's worth of fiddling around. Your "cookbook" worked perfect! What else should I expect from a professional Steadicam operator, huh? Well, I hope your friend decide to market that new accessory! Again, thanks, Charles!

There are some HV20 settings in the "user" section of the cookbook area:

http://www.merlincookbook.com/user.php

I ordered a Merlin a few days ago... should be delivered tomorrow. Can't wait to try it out.

Looks like we had identical settings...except 1.5" different in the arc, which seems inexplicable! Maybe I didn't measure it correctly.

Incidentally, I sent a pic of the camera atop Merlin to Garrett, who was surprised at the weights and arc for this weight of camera, so a bigger arc seems even less likely...

I have just hotfooted it over from a query I made on this very subject at DVXUser, and was kindly pointed here! Just the photo alone has me excited at what the Merlin HV20 combo will do for me in an upcoming shoot, so thanks for that.

The mystery of the need for extra weight has me slightly confused, is it really too light on its own combo (without the Canon wide lens attached)?

Enough, already,.... what about some footage ?? :)

I'll get there! I'll get there! I don't want to have to preface like so many posters do with a bunch of mumbled excuses: "I know the framing sucks and the lighting is dark and I was kind of rushed and it's pretty sloppy, but I figured I'd just throw it up for you guys to look at...!"

I'm just finishing up some other priorities but I plan to do some test shooting mostly for myself this weekend (trying out the different modes with the camera and see if I can wrap my brain around the softening in Cine mode that people have been talking about), so I will do some Merlin also. We've had ferocious winds the last couple days in LA so that made it less enticing to show youse guys the stuff.

As far as too light--no, it isn't, it balances perfectly well. It's just that the lighter the camera, the more sensitive the Merlin gets and the more delicate the touch required. The A1 performs much smoother overall. Again, not a design issue, just plain physics. Anyone who has played around with the little rigs like this are astonished at how much inertia is involved with the full-size rigs--takes a considerably greater amount of operator input to pan, tilt etc.

OK OK, I shot some stuff for youse guys! Actually it was an eye-opener--I haven't really spent much time with the Merlin and this footage really reflects that. It's not what I call top-notch. There's definitely a specific learning curve to the Merlin that is different than the big rigs. So even though in the last post I said I wasn't going to post a bunch of excuses...well...!

I added the WD-H43 and the DM50 on for extra ballast, which required another middle weight and lengthening the spar, but the Merlin responded with a more solid feel as a result.

http://web.mac.com/chupap/iWeb/Films/MerlinHV20.html

Looks great, though I'd expect that from a professional operator! I wonder what the average shooter could get with the Merlin...

Wow!
 

Thanks Charles, that is really impressive. How much experience to you need to be able to handle it that smoothly?
Rick

It seems to me with the Merlin there is a minumum usable camera weight and that the HV20 is below that weight. I think they need to create counter weights that attach topside with the camera to bring the total weight of the camera up to a sweet spot where you will also have to add additional bottom weights. It seems if the camera is too light movements exerted on the gimbal affect the camera more than on a heavier camera with heavier counter weights.

This rig seems unusable with a bare bones stock HV20.

Agree? Disagree?

-Jonathan

I'm experimenting with some things to try to keep this little camera stable. It seems like when you lower the arm as far as possible it becomes a little more stable. To compensate for this you must unscrew the gimble just about as far as it will go. Seems to be more stable in this confiuration.

I'm around 11.5 inches at this point.

-Jonathan

Looks fantastic!

I want one...no... I need one now!

Does your cat talk??

Tony, I showed that clip to my wife and she said the same thing, 'sounds like the cat is talking!". :)

Angus is a real chatty beast--I plan to start capturing his various yowls and cut a piece together for Youtube, maybe to a beat!

I think that Tiffen should offer thin weighted plates that would mount between the camera and the plate to help with the underweight cameras like the HV20. It does work by itself, but it is squirrely indeed.

Charles, I think the footage looked great...very smooth.

Thanks for your posts and footage, Charles. The HV20 + Merlin has been described as a killer combination. Everything you said seems to confirm it. You mentioned "ferocious winds" -- did you venture out into them to see whether this lightweight combo gets unduly buffeted? That's my only concern -- that it's so light and so sensitive (as Jonathan Gentry suggested) as to be only suitable for calm, still days. What about at the beach, when the wind is blowing in off the sea?

Mike:

Wind is a killer for all Steadicams, big and small. Certainly a Merlin will be very prone to gusts but its tiny footprint is a big advantage here over many other stabilizers as this will improve things. The beach is going to be tough. Your best bet is to have a pal hold a windblock for you in these situations. On set we use 4x4 double nets (they create less turbulence than solids) which cover most of the rig--this would do amazing things for a Merlin as it would create a much bigger relative buffer. Thus you could achieve decent results with a 2x3 double or if you were inclined to homebuild, a frame with some sort of perforated sailcloth etc.

In general, the rule for windy days is to use a heavier touch in controlling the rig.

Charles: if you get a minute, could you give us your cookbook settings for the addition of the wide angle, and/or the wide angle / DM50 combo.

I second Dale, more cookbook settings. I'm getting my merlin in the mail and I have the dm-50 but no wide-angle.

Charles this is fantastic footage, thank you for posting! It really is exciting to see such strong results. I about cried when I hunted down the $800+ price tag :(

I've found comparable ones on ebay for $200 range: http://cgi.ebay.com/STEADICAM-STEADY...QQcmdZViewItem

..hmm

With the whole package onboard, I moved the camera back one mounting hole, added a middle weight at the bottom and dropped the spar an inch or so. With the DM-50 only, I think you could probably just drop the spar a little bit and not have to make any other adjustments (except fine-tune the gimbal and stage adjustment).

Chances are that you will be regularly adding and subtracting bits and pieces to your cameras, so its good to get into practice balancing the Merlin without relying on cookbook settings. If you follow the procedures in the manual, it's really not all that complicated, you'll get a feel for it very quickly.

Indeed. Thanks for the link.

There were quite a few different cost-effective models shown at NAB from $300 on up. Hindsight is 20/20 and I wish I had handled a few while there.

Steve:

I've never seen that Italian (?) version of the Merlin, but it is probably safe to say that it weighs noticeably more than the Merlin chassis which means more strain on the arms. Generally the cheap knockoffs of Steadicams fall short in the fit and finish which means less rigidity and a wobblier frame, and more fatigue due to the extra weight. The miniaturized gimbal is also an area that may not be well designed which will have catastrophic effects on the photography. Again, this particular unit might be fine but I've never heard of it before today.

I should also point out that not one of the pictures shows a proper operating hand position--the one with two hands under the gimbal was particularly illuminating.

Caveat emptor, gents.

Merlin after 2 hours
 

I'm not sure if anyone really cares, but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in about the Merlin. It's really incredible! The $800 price tag felt high until I used it for the first time. I'm really new to making videos, but I'm having a great time with everything and the Merlin makes taping anything fun. I posted a clip of some footage of my dog and wife, and It was taken 3 hours after receiving my Merlin in the mail. I've got a long ways to go, but if an extreme amateur like myself can get results like the ones you'll see in the video, Holy Jeeez, the possibilities are endless!

Video: http://www.klondikesamuelson.com

josh, i enjoyed that a lot. the tracking shot of the dog against the side of the hill was particularly nice. was that shot on an hv20 or xha1? the notes read that it was shot on the xha1, and my initial thought was that the xha1 must be a little heavy and on the upper end of the weight range for the merlin. in any case, thanks for sharing.

Guys, I just sold my Merlin. I used it on my HC-1 but not all that often. With the HV-20, I think I can stabilize it well enough that it's just not worth trying to use it. You have trouble in wind and with the lighter cameras, have to rebalance often. It does work, but really takes a chunk of time to get everything set-up and ready to use each time you use it. Maybe I'm just to lazy.

Charles, thanks for answering about the cookbook settings with the DM-50 only. B&H shipped my Merlin today and I can't wait to get it. Looking forward to months and months of learning and practicing Steadicam. :)